


Nightfall

by onecoolcam, Vishan



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Camelot, Captain Swan (But Not Endgame), Dark Emma Swan, Drama, F/F, Fantasy, Outlaw Queen (But Not Endgame), Romance, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swan-Mills Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-11 10:45:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4432568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onecoolcam/pseuds/onecoolcam, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vishan/pseuds/Vishan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Picks up right as the dagger hits the ground. Emma Swan had sacrificed herself for Regina's happy ending, but what is the price of the Savior becoming the Dark One, and how can her friends and family help Emma fight against the darkness from consuming her soul?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story follows OUAT canon until the end of season four. Thus we're doing our take on season five, Camelot and all. It is also why CS/OQ are in the beginning, and we appreciate any reader's patience in following this story and sticking with it because Swan Queen is endgame. I just want to be clear up front so there are no surprises for individuals finding this story through the relationship tags. 
> 
> Camelot will play a very big role in this story and will not follow anything that has been seen or speculated per behind the scenes filming of Season 5 OUAT. There will be original characters introduced, or expanded upon if you've already read through 'Treasure', we will be expanding upon Kalyn, Regina's Knight Commander in this universe. We hope you enjoy our spin and the mythology that we came up with =)

The dagger dropped to the pavement with a distinctive clink. For a moment, no one moved a muscle. All were thinking the same thought: what happened to Emma? Where was she now? Slowly, and almost in perfect synch, the Savior's friends and family crept toward the dagger.

"No…." Mary Margaret whispered, her breath leaving her in a rush. "Oh, _no_ …"

David clutched her hand, their deepest fear for their daughter now having come true. Crowding around the Charmings, everyone saw the terrible truth: _Emma Swan_ was now the name etched into the Dark One's blade.

It was too much for Killian. Emma finally admitted that she loved him and then sacrificed herself to ensure that Regina would live - tethering herself to the dagger and all of the powers that the Dark One possessed. She was supposed to be _his_ happy ending. _They_ were each other's happy ending and now that dream was as elusive as the whereabouts of the Savior.

He looked at Snow and Charming, feeling their devastation so keenly before moving his gaze towards Regina. Old tendencies died hard and he wanted to throttle the woman! It was her fault that the woman he loved was taken away from him by the powers of the Dark One! He lost love again! It honestly could have been anyone in Regina's place, the emotional devastation would have been the same, but this was particularly personal. Emma was always putting her majesty first and Killian's feelings were always brushed aside as secondary concerns. But no more. That ended now.

"I need to get her back!" he said, brushing past Snow to reach for the dagger.

The pirate's brash action jolted both Snow and Regina to life. The former grabbed his arm while the mayor stepped in front of him, blocking his path. She sized him up with a defiant glare.

" _No_. We need to be _strategic_ about this, _Hook_ ," she spat.

Regina could have lectured him about not knowing what condition Emma would be in, as the new Dark One, but he wasn't worth the breath it would take. She also was not ready to contemplate what the Savior becoming the Dark One meant. Regina crouched down and picked up the dagger herself, daring him or the Charmings to say a word. Out the corner of her eye, she realized Robin was just staring at her, bewildered.

"So ... what? You presume claim over the dagger besides her own _family?_ Or even _me,_ just because your guilt over what has become of Emma bothers you? You've got your happy ending, Regina!" he spat back, shaking free of Snow's grip and motioned to Hood with his hooked hand. "You _won_. It doesn't give you the right to control her!"

"Hey! Don't blame her, _mate_ ," Robin exclaimed, suddenly reacting to the very clear insults Killian fired at Regina. An edge of warning crept into his voice, defending her. "Emma made her sacrifice, whatever her reasons. That was her choice and don't belittle that. Or Regina."

 _Why_ did _she do that?_ Regina thought, as dumbstruck by this as Robin had looked moments before.

"Fighting about this won't _solve_ anything either," Snow interjected. "She has magic, Hook. Let Regina hold onto the dagger for now while we form a plan."

"Of course that makes bloody sense, _if_ she didn't have to worry about her sister. The last thing we need is Zelena's trickery backfiring on her again," he groused, glaring at Robin before addressing the Charmings. "Nullifying her magic won't stop her from hurting you further. If she finds out you're in control of the dagger, don't think she'll find a way to use it. The woman's a cagey bitch. Even behind bars."

At that, Robin shifted uncomfortably and folded his arms across his chest. He was the perfect example of how thoroughly one could be duped by the Wicked Witch and everyone knew it.

"Mind your place, pirate," Regina scoffed with all the regal bearing she could muster. "I'll continue to handle my sister. And, the larger issue at the moment is helping the Savior-"

"Which is why we need to summon her so we know what state she's in!" he snarled back. "Or even worse, _majesty,_ she could be a prisoner of that bloody darkness and we'd be none the wiser!"

Regina rolled her eyes, annoyed with the pirate even more now that he had this hero complex about him. She supposed it was a contact condition from hanging about with the Charmings, given her own shift in demeanor. But in Hook, it was nauseating, she thought. With a smirk, Regina held the dagger out toward him.

"By all means then, Hook. Since you're so wise. _Try and summon the Dark One._ "

David stepped forward to interject but Killian was too fast. He snatched the dagger out of Regina's hand and held it out before him, not sparing a moment before Emma's parents could stop him. "Hear _my_ command _, Dark One!_ I _summon_ thee to appear before me!"

Nothing happened. Not so much as a crackle of magical energy or a puff of wind, and certainly no arrival of Emma. Regina arched an eyebrow at him, saying nothing, as Hook stared flabbergasted at the dagger.

"I … I don't understand. That should've worked. She should _be_ here."

"You're right. It _should_ have. But it didn't," said Charming after swallowing back his anticipation, hoping that it might have worked. "We know Emma's magic has been challenging for her. Maybe there's a chance it interacted with the dagger's magic in a way even it couldn't predict?"

Snow looked at Regina with hope clear in her eyes. The mayor barely resisted rolling hers at that enduring faith and optimism.

"That is possibly the case, yes," she said, acknowledging David's idea. Then, unable to resist the jab, Regina added, "Or… perhaps she simply isn't interesting in coming because Hook commanded her."

"Regina," Robin said patiently while motioning to Hook. "The man had just suffered a lost. You can at least be sympathetic to his plight. Even if it was foolhardy to just try and summon her. Which is why I'm willing to forgive his carelessly spoken words against you …"

"Oh come off it!" snarled the pirate, flailing his hooked hand at Regina. "You get _her!_ So bloody well stay out of this chat, _mate_. It doesn't concern you at all."

Robin looked like he was really would punch Killian despite his understanding of the loss Hook was feeling, but David took the moment to distract them both by snatching the dagger from his hand. Everyone stilled and silenced as Emma's father gaze at her name etched into the metalwork contemplatively.

"What if she doesn't want to be summoned?" he wondered aloud, his wife clearly hearing the pain in his voice. "Many of us here have caused her a lot of pain."

Hook was quick to defend himself. " _I've_ done nothing of the sort, so clearly something else is at work."

Whatever he had done in the past, or left unsaid, it was all to preserve his relationship with Emma and ensure that she didn't suffer because of his countless mistakes. He changed for her and in the end, she ended up becoming the Dark One for Regina. He glared maliciously at Robin, wondering why the foolish outlaw didn't tether _his_ soul to the dagger to protect his supposed true love. It didn't matter who it had to be, so why not him? _Someone_ needed to tie themselves to the darkness by way of the dagger. Rumpelstiltskin had no magic prior to becoming the Dark One, which meant that Robin Hood could have had his noble moment and, instead, choked.

Snow prodded her husband. "David, are you going to try?"

"I don't know," said David meekly. "Would it be right to do so?"

"Our _daughter_ is the Dark One!" she exclaimed. "Of course it would be right to try and bring her back, to find out what she needs us to do to help her!"

"Snow, I know she forgave us, but …she could still be harboring anger towards us. We've done so _much_ to control her life, and here we are attempting to do it again!" he explained. "Is this _really_ right?"

"Oh for fuck's sake, _Charming!_ Stop stalling and just _do it!_ If not you, your _wife!_ We're wasting enough bloody time arguing over this!" barked Hook.

Regina impulsively snatched the dagger from David's hand and slipped the blade into the inner pocket of her jacket. She stepped back rapidly and gave the Charmings and Hook a warning look. Robin, she ignored for the time being because he had little stake in this.

"I will keep the dagger safe. I know firsthand the price of dark magic. I can at least empathize with the struggle Emma faces and the weight of the sacrifice she made."

 _For me_.

"When she emerges, then I will present the dagger to its rightful owner just as Gold kept the dagger himself until Zelena," she stated, leaving no room for argument. "And _then_ , we will let _Emma_ dictate to us how to best help free her from the darkness."

David had already lowered his hand, not once making a move to grab the dagger back. He found himself easily agreeing with this plan, something that would have been impossible just a couple of years ago. Siding with Regina, working side by side to save his daughter? It was startling.

"I agree," he said quickly, ignoring the glare from Hook and his wife. "Emma did this for Regina, and she wouldn't have done that if she didn't believe in her." He looked gravely at the former evil queen and nodded. "You just keep that dagger safe."

Regina gaze at the prince and nodded back. "I shall. I take Emma's sacrifice seriously and will protect her."

"Very well, your _Majesty_ ," replied Hook with an upward curl of his lip. "I'll play along for now. But if _anything_ happens in regards to Emma's whereabouts, you contact me immediately."

"Of course," the mayor replied neutrally.

Regina looked to Snow and David, compassion eking into her gaze. The three of them had come a _long way_ over the past few years and she was rather awed at the level of trust that they extended to her in protecting their daughter. She also felt a smidge more respect for David for being cautious in handling Emma's unique situation. Finally, she looked to Robin and found she didn't know what to say to him.

Picking up on that, he gave her a sensible look before touching her shoulder. "I'm truly sorry this happened, and I cannot imagine what you're feeling. But what I _do_ know is that you'll find a way to help Emma."

"Thank you," she replied.

"Do you wish for me to stay with you when you speak with Henry about what happened?" Robin asked. "I know it will be a difficult conversation, and I want to help in any way that I can."

 _Henry._ Regina closed her eyes, expression shuttered. In the chaos and worry for Emma, she'd forgotten about having to tell her son about this. Regina bit her lower lip.

"I'll speak with him alone. Thank you, Robin," she said as graciously as she could. Regina touched his hand. But, her gaze shifted back to the Charmings - and purposely ignoring Hook - Regina said, "I'll take Henry home to speak with him privately and protect the dagger. Contact me if anything changes."

"We will, Regina. Thank you," said David, giving her a tight smile. He kept close to Mary Margaret, rubbing his wife's back as they somberly walked towards his truck.

Hook barely gave the queen a look, his focus solely on the dagger and wondering why Emma hadn't appeared to him. It was infuriating, and he felt impotent - especially how everyone had taken Regina's side in how to handle Emma's situation. Everyone here, minus the useless thief, had a stake in Emma's well being - even Hook had to admit _that_. Being made to look the fool because he was grieving was the queen's mistake, and he would make sure she realized that in the near future.

With that, Regina walked, alone, back to Granny's.

Mary Margaret sighed heavily, leaning into David's side. "Do we just go home now? How do we just go home?"

"I don't know, Mary Margaret. But we have to endure. Not lose sight of everything we fought and done for our daughter. That she's good. And she _will_ be strong enough to fight this until we can find another way to help her," he said with conviction, because he had to believe.

She nodded, trying to take strength from her husband, but her words conveyed how hollowed out she felt. "We failed her though. All of our efforts to keep her _good_. And she _chose_ darkness. For Regina."

"No!" David argued with conviction. "She did not choose the darkness. She chose to save a life. There's a big difference there."

"Regina's…" she whispered.

"Why in the bloody hell would she do that?" Hook demanded, finally finding his voice. "I _understand_ that they mother the lad together. But, why sacrifice herself for _her_?"

David shrugged. "Their relationship is ... _complex."_

He really couldn't think of a good word to describe it but that. Regina and Emma were more than complex. They had a enigmatic friendship that took years to get to where it was now through many trials of misunderstandings and threats. Yet through all of that, they held a kinship that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but David couldn't question how well they knew how each other ticked. "But what I do know is that Emma made a promise to Regina. To help her get her happy ending. She kept it … She ... "

Charming couldn't continue to talk, losing his voice as the uncertain future of Emma's made his fears intensify as Mary Margaret hugged him tightly with the same anxiety. Hook swore under his breath and stormed off. He would find a way to save Emma. Somehow!

* * *

_Eiledon Forest - Camelot_

Within the magically concealed thatched hut that was tucked miles away from any nearby civilization, a lone figure sat against the ground in silent meditation. He was a man that had walked this land for centuries but appeared no more than forty seasons, head cleanly shaven that prominently displayed the intricately tattooed knots and circles that weaved within each other, snaking through interlocking circles and squares, where they eventually linked together at the back of his head. There they were braided into one large knot that disappeared into his rust colored robes. A dark goatee circled his mouth and extended just beyond his chin.

The hut was thick with aromatic incense, aiding his meditative state. Baubles and magical items from lands near and far adorned the walls and dangled from the thatched roof on thin string. They scintillated in the firelight. One such bauble was a glass orb that was almost forgotten amongst the clutter of the rickety old wooden table; it hovered above it by its own power. .

The orb that levitated over Merlin's table was small, easily fit into the palms of the man's hands. For hundreds of years, it rested inert, unlit and unmoving. Now, as the magician meditated, the orb began to glow with a pale cerulean light. The hue brightened the room even as the orb simultaneously grew darker in shade. The sudden shift of illumination roused the sorcerer from his ruminations, evident as his relaxed body stiffened into alertness. Emerald eyes snapped opened and examined the rippling hues warring with one another. There he sighed with resolution, knowing that the day he had been waiting for had finally come.

With a bothered grunt, he got to his feet, grumbling at the orb. "A few hours you could've waited, you know! Even a wizard needs a decent meal before preparing for the end of days!"

The orb, of course, had no reply for his grousing. It continued to pulse with its intrinsic energy, alerting him to what was happening, lands away ...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin offers counsel to the new Dark One. Henry and Regina figure out the next step of rescuing the savior, as the mayor continues grapples with the reality that Emma sacrificed herself for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried a little something different in the first part as a writing experiment. Hope it works! Enjoy the second part of Nightfall. Please let us know what you think :)

The pungent aroma of incense permeated the thatched hut as Merlin paced his domicile, hands clasped behind his back. His robes grazed the dirt-packed floor. His expression was far away and pensive, listening to a voice that - truly - only Merlin could hear. For now.

"Free you from where you are?" he mused. "Why, a lovely idea, of course… but impossible. Clearly impossible."

Merlin smirked as he listened to her reply and offered a loose shrug of his shoulders.

"That there is, but it is not mine to do. Tell me, do you remember how you came to be where you are?"

He sighed, listening, and continued his meditative circular paths as he walked the hut. She was agitated. Understandably, but Merlin knew it was what she needed.

"It is always dizzying, dealing with such darkness. So disconcerting, so disconcerting…"

Merlin glanced up toward the baubled ceiling, tilted his head, then resumed his steps as he listened.

"Safety is always something to be mindful of… how safe any one place is depends on the fears and abilities of the one who is trapped. Your reputation precedes you, of course…"

Again, he paused, listening.

"Oh, you do know that much… who you _are_ … that's good, that's good," he mused. The ethereal voice carried on a bit more about knowing what happened before he said, "Dark vortex… my, my, so dramatic…" Merlin chuckled. "Just wait. You've but sampled darkness… or has it sampled you?"

He seemed to think that had been said before, by some other Dark One. Merlin cocked his head, pondering that. He shrugged and continued to move in a pattern only he understood.

He chuckled at his guest's reply. Her natural ferocity would serve her well, he thought, for the battle to come. Merlin glanced at his crystal ball, giving it a scrutinizing look.

"How do you feel?"

There was a long pause, then Merlin chuckled at that reference to her attire. _Women. No matter which land they're from,_ he thought.

"It's good that you are adjusting well. That will make things easier. Embrace your restlessness and keep the energy flowing. I think you saw how the previous Dark One was when put on a leash. Don't restrain yourself."

She complained about control issues with her powers and questioned his judgement.

"You're still contained right now, where you're located," Merlin pointed out. "And if nothing else… think of the magical flares you'd put off as being just that: a way for your savior to find you."

Her puzzlement was clear. Merlin chuckled and finally settled down on his bedroll.

"Alas, I've already said too much. Just work on being yourself, whatever that means now."

He laid back and stretched out, staring up at the baubles. From this vantage, it almost looked like a solar system overheard. The various sized globes scintillated in the firelight. Merlin did wonder what she could see, where she was.

"Perhaps... But, given your determined nature, all will become clear."

Merlin chuckled again, listening to her coarse reply.

"Tsk, tsk. Language dear. I am reluctantly here to help, not goad you."

He listened to her quietly, without interruption, gaze riveted to the baubles above.

"Ah, I didn't introduce myself? I am called Merlin, child. And you are quite the interesting hero… one who takes chances without knowing what will happen, all to do the right thing. Why is that?"

Merlin listened, then chuckled at her surprise. After all that Emma Swan had endured, how was she still surprised?

"The hopefully one and only," he confirmed.

Merlin smirked as she rattled off the names of legend, nodding to himself as, clearly, she was unable to see his reaction.

"Yes, _that_ Merlin… though things are a bit different now. Of course, you'd already met the younger Lancelot, I believe, in your travels."

Merlin listened for a moment, then nodded. He had existed, but was apparently dead by the time Emma had gone to the Enchanted Forest. He'd not known that.

"Ah… well, the version _you_ more commonly know was a long time ago. Camelot remains, and so do I… and some others of magical nature. But, this foray into my identity does not answer my question."

Merlin arched a brow, listening. That she felt she _had to_ save the former Evil Queen was interesting to him, considering all of the history involved. He wondered how that would play out as the future unfolded.

"Even at the expense of your own life and happiness, it would appear," he commented.

Merlin smiled at her reply. He wondered what magic was _really_ afoot here, considering the issue Emma seemed to have with the Evil Queen's soulmate.

"And what of the one you left behind?" he queried.

He found Emma's reply to be both vague and specific, and puzzled over it. It was as mysterious of speak as she'd earlier accused him of engaging in!

"Interesting… well. Test out your powers. Take time to explore your environs. But, do be careful there…" Merlin cautioned.

He nodded, considering her question. Time would really tell how frequently they'd be able to speak, but Merlin hoped it was more often than not. For Emma's sake. He felt she'd need a link to reality, even if it was his.

"We shall see… I will endeavor to keep the lines of communication open to your… realm," he said.

Merlin made a face and repositioned himself on the bedroll. Her location was important to her, but he didn't know how to explain it to the novice Dark One.

"I know a good many things about a good many places," he replied. "It's just that… you're in that nether realm where a Dark One must go if she is _taken_ by the power of the dagger as you were. It's a most unusual and rare case to end up with the source of that magic."

He knew she'd ask that. Of course Emma would want to know who the previous inhabitant - who she needed to fear, in truth - was. Merlin sighed. Divulging that would likely sever their connection because it was being allowed by the original Dark One, of course. All of this was being controlled by her.

"The original, Emma Swan. Morgan le Fay."

And, as he'd expected, the communication line snapped, leaving him to the quiet of his hut.

* * *

Dagger tucked safely in her jacket, Regina bit her lip and walked up the steps into the diner, alone. She was relieved that Robin had respected her wishes and let her be, even though she knew well that he was disappointed by that. With a sigh, Regina opened the door, winced at the brightness of the lighting, and zeroed her gaze in on Henry alone. He was sitting at the counter now as Ruby was ringing up a patron's order, sipping on his cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon, both story books stacked next to him unopened.

"Henry… it's time to head home. We need to talk," Regina said.

Her tone was one of acute weariness. Too much had happened too fast. _Again_.

"Mom?" Keenly aware something major happened, Henry pushed aside his cup, grabbed the books and went up to his mother quickly. The lack of anyone else with her, especially Robin, was telling enough. They had just gone on a walk together. "Can't we talk now?"

Regina looked around. This felt too exposed. _She_ felt too vulnerable and shook her head. "No. I… Henry, it's very serious. We should go home for this conversation. Let me just pay for your-"

"Oh the house, Regina," Ruby said quickly, seeing the state that she was in, even if she did not yet know why.

Regina blinked in confusion, then gave a distracted nod. "Thank you. Henry, let's go."

"Thanks, Ruby," he said politely before tightly gripping his mother's arm and moved out of the diner in a hurry. His mother's presence, how fragile she was in walking them towards the car, was worrying him. "Mom? You're really scaring me."

"I'm sorry, Henry."

They went down the steps and she had to pause, trying to remember where in the hell her car was. After locating it, Regina rehearsed this again and again silently, still trying to wrap her mind around the sacrifice that idiot, Emma, had made for her. It wasn't until she and Henry were both seated at the dining room table that she found her voice. The car ride home had been filled with quiet tension.

"Henry… something's happened to Emma. She…" Regina blinked, finding it hard to say again. "She sacrificed herself for me when the darkness from Gold's dagger got loose."

In all fairness, with how his mother had been acting since Robin Hood came into her life, Henry expected Regina's behavior to be tied to him. Yes, he wanted his mother happy, both of them, but he also wasn't blind to how nearsighted Regina became when Robin was with her, or how problematically mopey when he wasn't. He had to switch gears, trying to wrap his mind around that Emma had been attacked by the Dark One's power.

"What… what do you mean she _sacrificed_ herself for you?" he asked, anguished. "Did she … she didn't …" He couldn't dare speak the words and the Apprentice's warning haunted him. If his mom died here, there was no way to bring her back!

Regina grimaced, though it was anger that laced her tone. "The darkness was encircling me, ready to take _me_ as its new host. Emma, damn her, took the dagger and insisted on sacrificing her life for mine. She didn't want _me_ to fall to darkness again, so she did so herself."

He was barely holding it together, working through what Regina was telling him as he gripped the edge of the table, scratching his thumbnail under it nervously. "Fall to the darkness? Does that mean… is she…?"

 _Dead or the new Dark One?_ he wondered angrily.

"Henry… truly, I don't know." Regina sighed heavily and looked down at her lap, trying to keep herself calm. "Killian… _Hook_ … immediately tried to summon her after she vanished. Knowing how the dagger worked with Rumpelstiltskin, he… we… expected that would bring her back. Nothing _happened_."

His eyes widened in hope that at least everyone believed Emma to be alive and was the new Dark One. But, she was also the savior! Things might work differently, as apparent with Hook's failure to summon Emma.

As excited about his mother's chances for survival, his heart also sank with dread as he asked his next question. "Who has the dagger now?"

Regina looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "I do, of course. I wasn't about to trust that _fool_ with it. I know you're fond of Hook for teaching you to sail, but I've known him far too long to trust him. Even if Emma has fallen for him."

"Mom… you're _joking,_ right?" Henry blinked in aggravation. "I'm not fond of Hook. I _tolerate_ Hook because he makes mom happy. And I don't know where you got that teaching me to sail stuff," he said, but then paused, remembering the events of Isaac's book. "Unless you mean in that other land? I only said that so Hook would trust me. But, I'm glad you have the dagger. I was worried that _he_ did still."

"Well, I just know Emma was foisting you off on _him_ throughout Zelena's reign of terror… when you didn't remember me," Regina said. "But yes, I was _not_ about to allow Hook to hold the Dark One's dagger, considering its power or his careless use of it."

"Alright. Good." He loosened his grip on the table and leaned forward, hands atop the finely polished wood, ready to solve this mystery with his mother. "If he tried to summon her, that means the dagger has mom's name on it. We know that it should've worked, but for some reason it didn't. Which means she's alive, somewhere, but doesn't want to appear. Or … or maybe she _can't._ "

Despite the gravity of it all, Regina smiled proudly at her son. Leave it to Henry to be able to be clear-headed and able to think this through.

"You're right. Perhaps she can't. Who knows how this is impacted by her light magic." Regina rose and paced the dining room, finding new purpose. "We need _Gold_. Who else would know enough about that dagger?"

"But Belle says he's in really bad shape. She said … " He paused, knowing that Gold's darkened heart and Emma's disappearance had to be connected. "With Emma being the new Dark One, we don't know what condition Gold is in. We'll have to find out."

Regina scowled, then sighed with annoyance. "What do you mean 'what condition' he's in?"

"He was bad off before he was saved, and who knows what the price was in doing that." He frowned in all seriousness. "Magic always comes with a price. Mom paid it. He might've too."

Regina stared at him, then shook her head. _Of course. Of course he'd be out of commission when we need him desperately. Just. Perfect._

She poured herself a glass of cider, hand trembling.

"When Belle and Ne… _your father_ brought him back when we were sent back to the Enchanted Forest, there was a Vault of the Dark One or some such magical construct in the middle of the forest. That's where Zelena corrupted him into her service. Could Emma have been sent there?" Regina mused before downing the drink.

Henry felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he digested the implications of what his mother was suggesting. "Zelena manipulated them into freeing Gold. At the expense of my father's life. I … I really hope mom's not there because I know she wouldn't want us to hurt _anyone_ in getting her back. Forget about trying to find a way to _get_ to the Enchanted Forest..."

She sighed. "I know. So, what do we do, Henry?"

"I don't know, Mom…" he answered meekly, finding it hard to admit he wasn't sure where to start. "But there _has_ to be a way to find her."

Regina set the glass down and went back to sit with her son. She worried that if she stayed at the decanter, she'd end up drunk. Looking grimly at Henry, she thought about those final moments as the darkness swirled around Emma.

"Henry… why would Emma _do_ this? Why sacrifice herself for _me_? I… I _can't_ understand it, no matter that she said it was because of how far I'd come. So had _she_."

The answer was not as simple as merely saying that the savior made a promise to bring _all_ the happy endings back, including that of the Evil Queen's. Henry was a quiet observer of the people he loved, even jotting down his thoughts about his family every night, when not being kidnapped by the latest villain plot of course, of their latest adventures his family had to go through to protect the people of Storybrooke and those that they loved. Having the storybook given to him by Mary Margaret had expanded his already vibrant imagination and had turned reading about stories into writing them. It was not a surprise that he had become the next Author.

There was a constant theme in his writing and thoughts, a focus on his mothers. Their happiness was important to him even when he didn't approve of who Emma was seeing. He did not like Hook, and the pirate knew it. Emma did too, but Henry often wondered if pushing her happiness so hard onto Hook had overshadowed his obvious concern about the entire relationship. But there was something else that he was painfully aware of too.

"Emma cares about _you._ A lot. She doesn't say it because … well, we all know how she's like with expressing herself." He smiled ruefully. Emma tripped over her words as much as her feet when she was emotionally flustered. "Your opinion of her matters so much. Why do you think she was stalking you so much after bringing Marian back? How you were the key of breaking the spell on her and Elsa that the Snow Queen placed on them. Or… or even how worried she was when you were going undercover to figure out what Gold and everyone was up to. Your feelings matter to her. _You_ matter to her."

Regina listened intently to Henry, an elbow on the table, face propped in the curve of her palm. It seemed inconceivable that Emma could care _so much_ about her opinion and feelings to make such an insane sacrifice! Yes, they'd proven capable as co-parents to their son, and it was true that she did care about Emma; the fact that she'd given them happy memories together when Pan's curse had swept her away proved that.

 _But to sacrifice her own life and happiness for_ me? _I don't understand…_

After all, Regina had never had anyone care about her that deeply. Truly, while Robin was very fond of her, Regina didn't think even he would make such a life-altering sacrifice. In fact, clearly not considering how quickly he'd forgotten about her when leaving for New York with Marian! And that troubled her nearly as much as it bothered her what Emma had done.

"Emma… matters to me too, Henry. But, this…" She sighed. "Well, we have to save the savior, it seems. We just need to figure out _how to_."

Henry fell silent, working through everything that he knew so far of what happened and that of the Dark One. Anyone could control the Dark One as long as they had the dagger. The dagger could be used as a tool for good or for manipulation, depending on the goals of the person wielding the object of power.

"Was Hook the only one that tried to summon her?" he asked finally.

She nodded. "Yes. Your grandfather wanted to… but thought that perhaps Emma didn't want to come back. Snow seemed too distraught. And I… I just felt that acting rashly, trying to summon her _immediately_ after what happened was too reckless."

Relieved with answer, Henry nodded towards his mother sadly. His family was showing that it could do what was right under pressure once again. "Then maybe we need to talk to Belle and see how Gold is before we do anything else."

Regina pursed her lips and nodded again. "Yes. I think he's our logical next step. And from there… we'll figure it out We always do, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now you have an idea what we are doing here. Morgan le Fey is the original Dark One, Camelot that we know from stories and what is being shown as canon OUAT is our past in our story. We'll delve into Emma's surroundings and her perspective for sure. Not having Emma speaking or showing up physically in the chapter gives it a true sense that she was gone to the characters we focused on - Henry and Regina.


End file.
